NFL player fined after tweeting Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend was ‘horrible’
Miami Dolphins star Don Jones has been fined and temporarily suspended from team practice and activities after described Michael Sam’s public, same-sex kiss as “horrible” on Twitter.
Sam made history on Saturday as the first openly gay player to be drafted to the NFL, joining the Rams in the seventh draft.
He burst into tears when he heard the news, before embracing and kissing his boyfriend on live TV.
The homophobic tweet was sent in response to a fan, where Jones used “OMG” and “horrible” to describe the openly gay NFL player’s televised affection with his boyfriend. The tweets have now been deleted and Jones has set his Twitter profile to private after a social media uproar.
Dolphins Coach, Joe Philbin, released a statement saying: “We were disappointed to read Don’s tweets during the NFL draft. That is not what we stand for as an organization. The draft weekend is the culmination for so many players, their lifetime achievement of their dream to achieve the goal, for Michael Sam and for all the other players. It’s a celebration, as they begin their future as their playing goal.”
“I think it’s a great thing for the league.” Philbin continues, “I was disappointed by those comments, and we’re going to sit down with Don Jones and address them and handle that appropriately.”
Jones has to undertake sensitivity training after homophobic tweets.